The Effect of Religious Beliefs and Perceived Social Support on the Tendency Toward High-Risk Behaviors in Boys Studying in Senior High Schools

Adolescence is one of the most critical periods of human life that plays a vital role in his or her future. High–risk behaviors are those that endanger the health and well–being of adolescents. These behaviors have a direct and indirect impact on an individual's health, family, and society with negative consequences. This study aimed to investigate the effect of religious beliefs and perceived social support on the tendency to high–risk behaviors among male high school students.

The present research was a correlational study using the structural equation modeling method. The statistical population included all boys studying in senior high schools in Tehran City, Iran, in the academic year of 2020. Using a multi–stage cluster sampling, we selected our samples among 4 districts of Tehran. In the first stage, 4 districts were randomly selected, then two high schools were randomly selected from each district, and finally, 25 students were randomly selected from each school. Therefore, the final sample size was 100 students. The Religious Attitudes Questionnaire (Sarajzadeh, 1999), High–Risk Behaviors (Zadeh Mohammadi, 2008), and Vaux Social Support Appraisals (Vaux et al., 1986) scale were used for data collection. The collected data were analyzed by multivariate regression and the Pearson correlation test in SPSS–21 and smart PLS–3 software. The significance level of all tests was set at 0.01.

Demographic findings showed that the mean (SD) age of samples was 16.80 (0.76) years. Out of 100 participants, 45 (45%) were in the 10th grade, 40 (40%) in the 11th grade, and 15 (15%) in the 12th grade. Personal reports also indicate that 76% (n=76) of individuals reported moderate to very good socioeconomic status. Besides, the results of the Pearson correlation test showed a significant negative correlation (r=-0.48; p<0.005) between religious beliefs and a tendency to high–risk behaviors. Also, the correlations between family and friends' support for high–risk behaviors were r=-0.26 (p<0.001) and r=-0.20 (p<0.002), respectively. The final model showed the significant direct effect of religious tendencies on high–risk behaviors (B=-0.39; p<0.001) and its indirect effect mediated by social support (B=-0.362; p<0.001). The study of CV–communality indices (SSE and 1– (SSE/SSO)) for the hidden variables of social support, high–risk behaviors, and religiosity were (112.20, 0.77), (956.83, 0.41) and (1012.00, 857.82), respectively which indicates the validity of the model.

According to the study findings, religion is a protective factor against high–risk behaviors and, combined with the perceived social support of important adolescents, can be very effective in avoiding high–risk behaviors.